Tuesday’s Tablescape: Simple, Rustic Backyard Wedding

Today’s tablescape hails from Toronto, Canada! This simple, sweet, rustic wedding shot was by Sam and Mary Photography, and was held at the Ravine Vineyard Estate. Despite the simplicity of it all (no gravity-defying centerpieces dripping with crystals), the loveliness and attention to detail is just superb!

Check out the full gallery of gorgeous pictures here. 

 

 

   

Via Style Me Pretty

{Every Tuesday, Sweetchic Events features a fabulous tablescape from around the blogosphere for your viewing pleasure!}

Chicago Bridal Market Experience

On Monday, Ms. Hot Wings and I had the opportunity to go to the Chicago Bridal Market under the as “Press”. What exactly is the Bridal Market? It is where tons of wedding dress designers/manufacturers along with wedding accessories and shoe manufacturers gather bi-annually to display all their new designs for retailers to view and place their orders for Spring/Fall. Very cool! Unfortunately most of the high-end dress designers show their goods at the NYC Bridal Market, so there was no Vera/Monique/Amsale/Reem/Melissa/etc. for us too see and drool over…

 

Pictures were not really allowed, but I snuck in a few. Imagine thousands of square feet of dresses upon dresses! I was seriously gaga over some of the gowns and they made me want a wedding RE-DO (and then there were some dresses that just made me want to gag. Period.)

No comment on these below…

I seriously wanted to make off with one of these cute OKA b flip flops that you can literally throw in the dishwasher!

Most of the fashion shows took place on Sunday, but we were lucky enough to catch this Mori Lee show. Again, I don’t think I was supposed to take pictures, but I told the guy, “We’re Press.” hahaha.

I love love love the bottom of this dress, how dramatic are those ruffles?! Le sigh…

 

There was something very lovely and luxe about the cut and fabric of this particular dress below (my lousy pictures do it NO justice!)

 

If I WAS to have a wedding re-do now, I might choose something like one of these below: sweetheart neckline, higher waist (I’m short waisted anyways), blingy belt, a skirt that SWIRLS when you twirl… and POCKETS!

  

 

The rest of these (considerably better) pictures were taken by Kevin Ramos, the official Project Wedding photographer for the site’s Wedding Dress section.

Can you tell, I really love this shape?

L: Watters Brides   R: Allure Bridals

 

The trumpet shape is also another one of my faves; these remind me of something a celeb would wear to the Oscar’s (if in a different color).

 
Both by Allure Bridals

 

Hello gorgeous gown with amazing ruching and fab, blingy belt by Maggie Sottero! I could totally see JLo wearing this down the red carpet (doesn’t the model kinda remind you of JLo if you squint a bit?! hehe)

  

Let’s not forget about the bridesmaids, they deserve to look smokin’ in their bridesmaids attire too! Navy is a big color, I think I saw a lot of navy bridesmaids dresses on display. The one on the right by Watters is super cute and sassy with the sweetheart neckline and soft draping.

 
L: Allure Bridals, R: Watters

 

I think I want the purple one, bridesmaid or no bridesmaid. I am a sucker for lady-like dresses with V-necks, floofy skirts and pockets!

 

What do you think?!

**By the way, you may not immediately see these dresses up on the company websites because most of them were “new releases” for the fall season.**

Tuesday’s Tablescape: Southern Floral Extravaganza!

Oh me oh my, I’m a little late in getting this post up today, but it wouldn’t be a “Tuesday’s Tablescape” if it went up on Wednesday, right? haha.

I came across the wedding of Catherine and Ben shot by A Bryan Photo while perusing the Southern Weddings blog… and it nearly took my breath away! The gorgeousness of these florals are beyond words! I love the sage green linens combined with the vibrant pink and oranges, it looks so fresh! I’m guessing that there had to have been a wedding planner involved in this extravaganza, so please let me know if you know who! You must click over to this Gallery to view the rest of these amazing pictures…

This head table leaves me speechless.

 

  The guest tables aren’t too shabby either. I love the collection of vibrant pink tulips, soft peonies and sunset-colored callas!

 

   

 

Via Southern Weddings

And I think I’m in love with this photographer, A Bryan Photo, based in Alabama!

{Every Tuesday, Sweetchic Events features a fabulous tablescape from around the blogosphere for your viewing pleasure!}

Tuesday’s Tablescape: Dreamy, White, Contemporary

I’m a big fan of the vintage, romantic vibe, but I can’t deny that I also love a clean, contemporary look! This Arizona wedding combines clean and contemporary with a splash of frothy whimsy. Their beautiful tablescape is made up of what I call “deconstructed” floral arrangements (although florists, what would you call them?! I would love to know the official name!) which consist of different glass containers each holding a different type of flower. In this case, I see arrangements of dendrobium orchids, cymbidium orchids, calla lilies and curly willow. And when I said “frothy,” check out their delectable looking wedding cake which nicely mimics the feel of the bride’s frothy Oscar de la Renta gown!

Fabulous images by Sedona Bride:

 

 

 

Via The Bride’s Cafe

{Every Tuesday, Sweetchic Events features a fabulous tablescape from around the blogosphere for your viewing pleasure!}

KOLO Photo Book vs MyPublisher Review

The other day I was so excited to receive a big ol’ box from UPS with my new portfolio album!

I’m sure many of you are familiar with KOLO albums and products which you can find in many bookstores and art supply stores.

  

I was looking for a portfolio album to bring with me to new client appointments and I considered the usual suspects: Mypublisher, Blurb, MPix, etc., as well as the option of inserting 4 x 6 photos into a traditional KOLO album. As I perused the KOLO website, I noticed that they offered Digital Photo books! After some consideration, I decided that this was the best option for me because the style of it is classic and beautiful, and most importantly, the album is expandable up to 50 double-sided pages so that I can continue to expand my portfolio as my business grows. Through the KOLO site, you can also order the photo printed pages only… perfecto!

PROS:
- The high quality look and feel of the album; cover is available in a variety of colors
- Super thick, archival quality pages, and good print quality
- Expandable up to 100 pages (50 double-sided)
- Affordable, although certainly not cheap by any means (and I couldn’t find any online coupons)
- No need to download or install any software
- Good customer service (I called twice with questions, and they were helpful both times)

CONS:
- The upload and design software on their website is poorly designed and elementary, and there were no real instructions so my first attempts were annoying 
- Not nearly enough layout options at all! (Not a problem if you are Photoshop/Illustrator savvy and can design your own layouts and upload as a full page image. Unfortunately I do not fall into that category…)

Here is the finished album I received along with a few of the layouts for your viewing pleasure:

A spread of Vida & John’s wedding

 


Natalie & Jake’s wedding   




James & Maria’s wedding

Notice the thickness of the pages! It feels very luxe, me likey!

The back flap where you can unscrew the posts and add more pages at your leisure.

 

I chose the largest album option they had - the Newport Giant - which is a generous 11 x 14. Below you can see it stacked on top of my wedding album, which I designed and printed through MyPublisher. If I were to order another album, I would go with the black cloth cover. As much I as love this pretty grey color, I can tell it will get dirty relatively easily.

 

In comparison, my wedding album is a MyPublisher deluxe hardcover album, and a hefty 11 x 15 with a glossy book jacket. As a disclaimer, I ordered this book in 2007, so I’m sure much has changed with MP since then, but when comparing what I know about them from back then to my new KOLO album, this is how it stacks up:

PROS:
- Affordable, with a plethora of online coupons for buy-one-get-one-free, 40% off, or the like
- Easy to use software
- More layout options
- Love the custom book jackets (but hate it when they accidentally get bent or creased!)

CONS:
- Pages are not quite as thick as the KOLO album
- Not expandable (which was key for my portfolio decision, but not necessary for everyone)
- Print quality is good but not great,and some colors look “off” on a few images 
- You have to download the software

I always thought the pages were thick… until I received my new KOLO album!

 

 
A good variety of layout options…

As much as I love my MP album, I’m still waiting for the day when I can order a real, professional, archival quality wedding album… hopefully one of these days!!

What online album companies have you tried, and which ones  would you recommend?